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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27693865">Run</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/samuraioni/pseuds/Wushu'>Wushu (samuraioni)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ben 10 Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Cousins, F/M, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:54:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,315</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27693865</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/samuraioni/pseuds/Wushu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[Ben/Gwen] [BWEN] Ben runs away after realizing his feelings for Gwen, this doesn’t sit too well with Gwen or Grandpa Max.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Tennyson/Gwen Tennyson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Run</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Title: Run<br/>
Rating: K+<br/>
Series: Ben 10<br/>
Sub-Series: Multiverse Series<br/>
Pairing: Ben/Gwen (BWEN)<br/>
Summary: [Ben/Gwen] [BWEN] Ben runs away after realizing his feelings for Gwen, this doesn’t sit too well with Gwen or Grandpa Max.<br/>
Disclaimer: Ben 10 and all associated characters are the property of Cartoon Network and Man of Action.</p><p>Multiverse Disclaimer: All Fanfiction by its very nature is an Alternate Universe, some are just more alternate than others. My multiverse stories are my versions of ‘what-ifs’. Some are based on what if another author had done ‘this’, some are what if the actual writers had done ‘that’. My stories will all have a main multiverse ID for the series and a unique (Branch) ID for that specific AU. I am a firm believer in the suspension of doubt, but doubt can only be suspended so far before it gets to the ‘come on’ point. My stories will never reach that point. So, all I ask is that you sit back, relax and enjoy the story, and if you liked it enough please leave me a nice little review.</p><p>AN: This story takes place in the Original Series of Ben 10 and has references to Secret of the Omnitrix. It has been year since I’ve seen the show so please keep that in mind. The songs listed below were inspirational to the creation of this story, they are all available on YouTube Music and other streaming services.</p><p>Songs:	“Say Goodbye” – Skillet<br/>
“Everything I Need (Film Version)” – Skylar Grey<br/>
“No More Heroes” – Aviators</p><p>o.0.o.0.o</p><p>Primary Multiverse ID: BTN4512613<br/>
Branch ID: GWN543150<br/>
Target Lifeline: Ben Tennyson<br/>
Target Age: 16 s.h.y. (Standard Human Years)<br/>
Target Location: New York City, New York, United State of America, Earth.</p><p>o.0.o.0.o</p><p>There is a phrase that has been said in many languages and many variations, but the meaning of the phrase never changes; you can’t help who you fall in love with. The heart will love who the heart wants and there is nothing you can do once it has been decided.</p><p>Matters of the heart are often complex and come with innumerable troubles that are not easily solved, a fact that Ben Tennyson found to be truer than he’d ever imagined.</p><p>For the past several years he’d embarked on summer road trips across the country with his Grandpa, Max Tennyson, and Cousin, Gwen Tennyson, who many would consider being Ben’s twin in several ways. For instance, they were born seconds apart in the same hospital and share the same bright green eyes, and throughout their summers together they had become as close as siblings, and therein lies the problem. For reasons beyond his understanding, sometime during their many summer adventures together, Ben’s heart had fallen in love with Gwen.</p><p>Now, it should be noted here that this was not a simple case of stronger than normal familial love, no, this was true and real romantic love.</p><p>Many things were true about Ben Tennyson; he was a hero, he wasn’t as smart as Gwen, he loved his Grandpa Max and their summer trips, and he was hopelessly in love with his beautiful cousin and he knew there was no way he’d be able to ever even contemplate being with her and that fact alone tore his heart out.</p><p>However, at this point, Ben didn’t care about anything other than his overwhelming feelings of disgust and shame. He cared for nothing except the feelings that drove him out into the night and half-way across the country to a city he’d never been to just to escape the sad truth. He could no longer look upon his cousin without feeling his love for her rise to the surface, a love he’d forced back down into the depths so many times that it had become second nature to suppress his emotions, specifically that of love, leaving him a cold shell of the happy boy he’d been before. His façade had served him well and protected him from feeling almost anything like love.</p><p>That façade shattered with one single solitary action taken the night before, one lapse of judgment that drove him to where he now sat, huddled in the rain in an alley in New York City with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. His head was buried in his arms as he let the rain wash away his tears. Sadly, the action that drove him here was one of the most versatile gestures in the world, the simple, solitary act of kissing his cousin in a moment of passion and utter weakness.</p><p>Fresh tears dripped from his eyes as he remembered the simplicity of watching a movie on the TV in the lounge of their Grandpa’s RV, affectionately named the Rust Bucket, as they were unwinding after a long day on the road, the start to another fun-filled summer with the people he loved.</p><p>He remembered the peace that came over them as they laughed at the comedy film that they’d all picked out.</p><p>He remembered the feeling of Gwen as she laid back against his chest as their Grandpa made some coffee in the kitchen.</p><p>He remembered how Gwen had slowly taken to using him as a human pillow when they watched movies together across the various summers.</p><p>He remembered relishing in the feeling of her being so close but knowing he could never have more.</p><p>He remembered the feeling of her shoulder-length hair as it tickled his nose.</p><p>He remembered fighting the urge to run his fingers through the soft red strands and hear her hum in pleasure, he’d done it many times before, but with his thoughts and feelings as they were, it didn’t feel like he deserved that gift anymore. </p><p>He remembered the lull in the comedy as the director inserted a few small moments of drama for effect.</p><p>He remembered the smile on her face as she watched the film play and the light from the TV dancing across her face in the darkness they’d created for the movie.</p><p>He remembered seeing her getting closer but didn’t see her moving.</p><p>He remembered the warmth her body gave to him as they sat nestled together.</p><p>He remembered the moment his lips touched hers.</p><p>He remembered the shock that filled her eyes as a gasp broke from her throat.</p><p>He remembered the sound of Grandpa’s cup shattering as it hit the floor, the sound of his shocked gasp mixing in time with Gwen’s.</p><p>He remembered the look in their eyes as his brain finally caught up.</p><p>He remembered his body moving and his transformation into the alien XLR8.</p><p>He remembered moving faster than he ever had as he grabbed his backpack, a few supplies, and a blanket and vanished into the night leaving only a trail of tears behind him as he fled from his most fatal mistake.</p><p>He remembered the sound of his name as it broke from Gwen’s lips as he raced off into the night.</p><p>He remembered the pain he felt at knowing he’d never hear her say it again.</p><p>He remembered running as fast as he could away from the life he had just destroyed and not stopping until the alien watch, the Omnitrix, finally timed out and Ben reappeared in a flash of red light even as he collapsed against the alley wall where he currently sat.</p><p>He remembered when life as he knew it ended.</p><p>He remembered the tears.</p><p>After that, he lost all track of time as he cried over the stupid mistake he’d made and the destruction of his life. He cried over the loss of the only person on the planet who knew him better than he knew himself.</p><p>Finally, gratefully, he slipped into the bliss of unconsciousness and he remembered no more, except in his dreams.</p><p>.o.0.o.</p><p>Ben’s dreams were varied and feverish as he lay against the wall in the alley, his body partially shielded by a fire escape overhead and a dumpster and bags of trash around him. The water from the earlier rain soaking him and chilling him even as he feverishly tried to fight his dreams.</p><p>In his dreams he remembered the summer that led up to this point, finding the alien watch and turning into Heatblast for the first time. He remembered using all 10 aliens for the first time, and every time he did Gwen was there to support him.</p><p>But his dreams were far from pleasant, as he slept the dreams, no, the nightmares, picked out the worst parts of every trip; Vilgax, Animo, Hex and Charmcaster, the Forever Knights, but none were as bad as the time he had to watch Gwen die.</p><p>Tears slipped down his face as the memories of Xenon played in his mind, however, unlike real life, Gwen was killed in the depths of the darkness the vines had dragged her to. In his dream, he had found her mangled and cold body wrapped in the vine that had taken her life. In that instance he had almost wished that the Omnitrix had self-destructed, he didn’t care that half the universe would be destroyed, after all, what good was living if the person you loved had already been taken from you. More tears fell as he held her lifeless body in his arms, her bright green eyes which were a perfect mirror to his own were dull and pale, her beautiful red hair matted and unkempt. But the worst part for him was the tear tracks down her lifeless face, indicators of his failure to save her and her fear and pain in her last moments, moments spent alone and terrified.</p><p>Just as he wished that the dream Omnitrix would reach critical mass and detonate, Ben was forced awake by the sound of the dumpster by his head being slammed into. Burrowing into the garbage bags that surrounded him he tried to hide away from the waking world even as it forcefully woke him up.</p><p>Ben watched from his hide as the city around him sprang to life, traffic and pedestrians filling the streets.</p><p>Slowly pulling himself from the bags around him Ben rose and gathered his things, packing them into the backpack as best he could. With a sigh he set off to see what he could do about getting something to eat, as he walked he pulled the sleeve of his jacket over the bulky shape of the Omnitrix, he didn’t see any sense in drawing more attention to himself than he needed to.</p><p>As the noise of the city engulfed him, he sighed again as he tried to figure out what he was going to do now. He was too young to get a job and he didn’t have any marketable skills to offer even if he were old enough. He knew he had a few dollars in his pocket, but that would be gone far too quickly.</p><p>Even as he looked around, he knew he couldn’t stay here, he could disappear forever into the never-ending streams of people that made up this city, but it wasn’t him. It was just too much, and he needed to get back to something simpler, after all, Bellwood wasn’t a huge city and that smaller town feeling was what he knew and was comfortable with. He never planned on staying in New York, he had just run as fast and as far as he could, he just needed to be as far from California and Gwen as he could get.</p><p>Nodding to himself he decided to get some breakfast then go XLR8 and see if he couldn’t find a place to stay, at least for a while.</p><p>.o.0.o.</p><p>Several days later Ben found himself in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, the fake State ID he’d bought in New York had been worth the little money he’d had as he now stood stocking the shelves at a small family-owned grocery store under the guise of 16-year-old Ben Thurston. The owner had been kind enough to pay Ben to stock the shelves while he saved the money he needed to move to the next town. He’d at first been surprised when Ben had asked if he could be paid in cash before Ben had explained that he didn’t have a bank account of his own.</p><p>The kind elderly man that owned the small store, a man named Jacob, had understood even as he realized that Ben was a runaway. He’d agreed to the cash payments once Ben had confirmed that he had indeed run away.</p><p>When he had gently pressed Ben about why he’d run the younger man had finally admitted that he had fallen in love with a girl he could never be with and made the mistake of kissing her and that he’d had no choice but to leave, a real Romeo and Juliet kind of thing, only without the dying.</p><p>After that Jacob had stopped asking questions, he could see the pain and heartache on Ben’s face. So, with a pat on the shoulder, he sent the boy back out to stock.</p><p>As the day drew to a close, Ben swept the last bit of dust from the shop floor and tossed it into the trash before he put his supplies away and made his way to the back office to find Jacob.</p><p>“Sir?” Ben said as he peered into the room.</p><p>“Yes, Ben?” The older man replied as he sat back from the accounting program on the computer and rubbed his eyes as he looked at Ben.</p><p>“I’ve finished cleaning, do you want me to lock up on my way out?”</p><p>“No,” he said as he reached to open a drawer next to him and pulled an envelope from inside. “I’ll take care of it; this thing is being slower than molasses again, so I’ll be here late. How does it take 5 minutes to add one entry to the ledger?”</p><p>He rose with a sigh and handed the envelope of cash to Ben as he once again thanked the younger man for a hard day’s work.</p><p>Ben only smiled as he took the envelope, his eyes lingering on the ancient computer sitting on the desk beside the man before his boss walked him to the door on the excuse of locking up and stretching his legs.</p><p>Ben waved as he closed the shop door behind him and made his way into the dark forests around the town.</p><p>He’d walked this way enough times that he’d memorized the path to the small camp he’d set up away from the prying eyes of the townspeople.</p><p>With a sigh he gathered some wood as he walked for a fire, the dry branches scratching him slightly as he carried them.</p><p>Reaching his small camp, he placed the wood on the ground before starting to make a small campfire. Once he’d built a decent little pyramid he glanced around before turning into Heatblast and igniting the wood, quickly reverting to Ben once it was lit.</p><p>Sitting on the log he was using as a seat he pulled the envelope out and removed the money before tossing the envelope into the fire. The money he carefully placed into a bag until he could get to the bank and convert it into larger and easier to carry bills.</p><p>Ben sighed as he leaned back and looked at the stars above him, unfortunately, they reminded him of all the times he and Gwen had star gazed together, their bodies side-by-side for warmth as they gazed heavenwards and pointed out constellations.</p><p>Sitting back up and reaching into his small single-person tent he removed a small box of dried foods. The tent had been a lucky find in the dumpster of a New York sports store that had been thrown out when the display model had been damaged. Thankfully, Grey Matter had been able to come up with a few quick repairs to make the tent usable.</p><p>With a sigh, Ben started to eat his dried food and sip from his small water bottle.</p><p>He’d have to leave soon; he’d already been in the town a few days and he had to keep moving, he couldn’t let anyone discover who he was. He couldn’t risk his name getting into the system, then they’d be able to track him down.</p><p>Glancing up at the stars one final time he raised a hand to outline the Big Dipper, something he and Gwen had done innumerable times.</p><p>As his hand dropped back to his side his head fell to his chest as a single tear fell from his eye.</p><p>“Good night Gwen,” he whispered into the night.</p><p>.o.0.o.</p><p>Ben walked through the forest a few days later, his backpack and tent strapped to his back. He turned for a brief moment to look at the town behind him, the smoke from the coal fire was still lingering in the air, but thankfully no one had died.</p><p>With a sigh he hefted the pack higher onto his back, right now the only way for him to be able to leave town was to walk through the forests and disappear.</p><p>He’d been planning to leave today anyway, but he’d hoped he’d be able to get a ride instead of walking. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen thanks to the fire that broke out in one of the hoppers at the coal mine.</p><p>Ben had been stocking the store when the alarm sounded, he looked out the window and saw the smoke pouring from the processing plant of the mine. He dropped the cans he’d been holding and rushed out the door, changing without a thought into Heatblast and racing to the fire.</p><p>When he arrived, he used one of the alien’s abilities to absorb the flames into his body before shifting into XLR8 and grabbing as many people as he could find and getting them out of the area.</p><p>Once he’d achieved that he rushed away from the scene to not get caught, shifting once again into another form, this time the Galvanic Mechamorph Upgrade, and jumping into the power lines to make his escape. </p><p>Before he made his way to his small camp he popped out of an electrical outlet in the office of his boss at the store, thankfully the man was out trying to help with the now extinguished fire. Releasing a small sigh at his luck, Upgrade entering into the computer on the desk, working furiously to upgrade the machine as a thank you to the man who’d been so kind to him over the past few days.</p><p>With a smile on his face, Ben shifted back to his human form so he could leave a note on the desk.</p><p>His task accomplished he went into the store itself and grabbed a few medical supplies, various food items, and a small electronics kit the store sold for hobbyists. Ringing up the purchases he left the money in the register before shifting back into XLR8 and vanishing into the forest.</p><p>His few belongings were already packed into the backpack, all he needed to do was add his new purchases. Soon he was trekking through the forest away from the town, while he had been as careful as he could he knew that someone would have seen him putting out the fire or rescuing the people. Once word of an alien got out the Plumbers would be here before day’s end, and that was not something Ben needed. He knew his Grandpa would enlist the help of the clandestine police force to track him down and bring him to ‘justice’ for what he did to his cousin.</p><p>For now, it was a lot safer to be on foot as a human than to make his escape as an alien.</p><p>As he vanished into the forest, he couldn’t help but think about the recent changes he’d noticed in the Omnitrix. First was that he was able to shift seamlessly between forms with just a thought, despite having not unlocked the master control. The second was that the time out was much longer than it had been in the past, after all, he’d never have been able to make it from Northern California to New York on one use, a journey of almost 3000 miles, when he’d first received the watch. Lastly was the fact that he seemed to be able to shift into an alien form without activating the watch directly, at least not as often anyway. He even had a theory that he may be able to only transform a single part of his body, but that was an experiment for another day.</p><p>Promising to one day ask the creator of the watch what it meant he filed the changes into the back of his brain and concentrated on his cross-country hike.</p><p>.o.0.o.</p><p>Word of an alien putting out a coal fire spread quickly through the Plumber community and drew Max and Gwen to the Appalachian Mountains and a small town in northern Pennsylvania.</p><p>Despite asking around and even showing a picture of Ben, not a person could honestly say they’d seen the boy. It wasn’t until they stopped at a small grocery store for supplies that they got their only lead in weeks.</p><p>“What can I do for you?” the elderly shopkeeper asked as Max and Gwen entered, a small bell above the door ringing as they did.</p><p>“Just some supplies for the road,” Max replied as he walked over to lean against the counter, making small talk as Gwen browsed the aisles.</p><p>“On a road trip through our beautiful mountains?” The man, Jacob, according to his name tag, asked with a smile as he watched Gwen pick up some canned foods that seemed interesting. “I’m sorry for the sparse shelves,” he called to her, “but I lost my stock boy recently and haven’t been able to hire any new help, if there’s anything you’re interested in let me know and I may have it in the back.” Gwen only replied with a nod as she kept browsing.</p><p>“No,” Max said as he shook his head, “we’re looking for someone. My grandson ran away a few weeks ago and we heard he may have been in the area.”</p><p>“Hmm,” Jacob said as he scratched his head in thought, “can’t rightly say we’ve had any new visitors since before the hopper fire a week ago. Other than the investigators from the mine and the occasional tourist, the only other person not from around here was my stock boy, Ben.”</p><p>As soon as the name Ben stopped reverberating in the air Gwen lost all feeling to her hands and dropped the can of creamed corn as she spun to face the counter. Max stiffened in response as both hands began to grip the edge of the counter.</p><p>“Ben? You said his name was Ben?” Max asked as his knuckles turned white, Gwen was at his side instantly as she too gripped the edge.</p><p>“Yes sir,” Jacob replied as he noticed the look of hope on their faces. “Ben Thurston, he said his name was.”</p><p>The hope that sprang to the faces of his customers died instantly, but he hadn’t lived as long as he had without learning a few things about people.</p><p>“Well, that’s what his ID claimed, he and I both knew it was fake, but I needed the help and he needed the money.”</p><p>“I-if… if you saw a picture, would you recognize him?” Gwen asked as her hands shakily pulled a phone from her pocket.</p><p>The shopkeeper nodded as he watched the reactions of the girl, the pieces of the story falling into place completely when she pulled up a picture of Ben and he was able to see the identical eyes they shared.</p><p>“Ah,” he said as a smile grew on his lips. “That’s Ben, he was a great help, very respectful and a good worker. Told me he’d ran away because he was in love with a girl he could never be with, a Romeo and Juliet type thing but without the dying, I take it you’re that girl, aren’t you?”</p><p>Gwen could only nod as her suddenly numb hands tried to slide the phone back into her pocket.</p><p>“Young love can be so trying sometimes,” he said in sympathy, “especially when you are related, I’m guessing cousins.”</p><p>Gwen only nodded as she waited for him to continue, waited for the same disdain and loathing that had caused Ben to run. However, none of that was forth coming from the man before her, instead he only wore a slightly sad smile.</p><p>“They’re my sons’ kids, first cousins,” Max replied as he felt himself relax a bit, not sensing any hostility from the man regarding the rather taboo concept.</p><p>“The heart wants what the heart wants, and I can tell his heart wants you,” he replied as he pointed at Gwen. “I was only able to get a little information from him, but I could tell he truly loved the girl he’d kissed but felt that he had ruined whatever they had by his actions.”</p><p>He sighed as he looked across the room at a framed photo on the wall.</p><p>“Do you see that photo over there? That’s the love of my life, the woman I wanted to spend my life with, but her father didn’t approve and tore us apart. I had to find love with another, while I truly did love her and our children, my heart was incomplete for it belonged to another. I always provided for my family, but I couldn’t love them as well as I should have. I keep her photo up as a reminder that I need to do better for the family I do have, not the dream I wanted and lost. Do you understand what I’m saying, young lady?”</p><p>Gwen shook her head; her mind was not able to make the connection at the moment.</p><p>“If you love him as much as he loves you do whatever you can to grab onto him and never let go. Believe me, you will never be truly happy if you let the person you love the most slip from your fingers.”</p><p>“Do you know where he went?” Gwen asked in a small voice.</p><p>“Sadly, I don’t,” he replied with a sigh, “all I know is he left on foot following the hopper fire. He did leave me a note and a gift. Follow me.”</p><p>Sharing a look Max and Gwen were confused as they followed the man to the back office where they saw a highly upgraded computer sitting on his desk.</p><p>“Before he left, he did something to my old piece of junk computer and left this in its place, fastest thing I’ve ever seen. No one in town has ever seen anything like it, it’s a one-of-a-kind they tell me.”</p><p>Gwen raised a shaky hand and touched the machine that bore the obvious marks of an Upgrade upgrade.</p><p>“Ben,” she whispered with tears in her eyes even as the shopkeeper handed Max the note Ben had left him.</p><p>There wasn’t much to it, just thanking the man for being so kind and explaining that he’d upgraded his old computer as a thank you gift, but it was Ben’s handwriting.</p><p>“I wish I could tell you where he went, but he just disappeared and I haven’t seen him since that day, but if you do find him please give him a message. I know he was responsible for saving all those people from the fire, one of my sons was one of the people he saved, I don’t know how he did it, but when you see him, please tell him Jacob said thank you.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Max said in a low voice, “you’ve been more help than we’ve been able to get anyplace else, when we find Ben, I’ll be sure to give him your message.”</p><p>“I know it’s not much,” the shopkeeper replied as took the note back and returned it to the desk drawer. “But he’s using a fake ID from New York under the name Ben Thurston, I was even able to get the ID number, for record-keeping purposes of course.”</p><p>Max perked up at this information and he eagerly asked for the number, with it in hand he’d be able to track any time it was used, and given how expensive it would be to get a new ID, Ben would have no choice but to use it again.</p><p>“I’d be happy to give you the number on one condition.”</p><p>“Anything,” Gwen whispered as she finally drew her eyes and hand away from the only connection she’d had with Ben in weeks.</p><p>“I want you to promise me that if you don’t love him that you’ll leave him be and not look for him. I’m only giving you this to help you find that boy and heal his heart.”</p><p>Gwen nodded eagerly as she clasped both hands together.</p><p>“I will, I’ll find him and never let go again,” she replied as she fought back tears of happiness even as Jacob wrote the number on a sticky note and handed it to Max.</p><p>After that, there was nothing left to do but thank the man, buy some supplies for the trip, and set out to find Ben.</p><p>“Just hold on Ben,” Gwen whispered as she waved goodbye to the kind shopkeeper, “I’ll find you and I’ll never let you go again, I promise.”</p><p>.o.0.o.</p><p>Ben jolted awake, the crash of thunder forcing him from a troubled sleep.</p><p>Rain battered the small tent as he sat up, rubbing his eyes he tried to rid the remnants of the memory of Xenon from his mind.</p><p>As sheltered as he was in the forest the rain still managed to whip and wind its way through the trees.</p><p>Ben sighed as he realized he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep again tonight and that he should plot his next stop. He still had plenty of money as he’d been living off the canned food he’d bought from Jacob and a few other stops along the way.</p><p>For the past week, he’d stayed as far away from the roads and towns as he could, only venturing in to find a laundromat to wash his clothes a few times a week and restock any miscellaneous supplies he needed.</p><p>Currently, he placed his location as someplace in Northern Virginia. As it stood, he had no real destination in mind, just to keep moving and try to stay ahead of the Plumbers or anyone else looking for him.</p><p>Last he remembered he had stopped in Berryville for a shower as well, but that’d been a few days ago and he just kept traveling south once he’d cleaned up and resupplied. He knew he’d have to find a smaller town to find work in, even though he still had enough money it’d be running out very soon and he was going to need new shoes and socks from all the walking.</p><p>As he folded the map up and returned it to his bag, he lay back on the thin bundle of clothes he used as a pillow. As he lay there and listened to the rain and thunder, he began to wonder if it was worth it to keep running. While he’d only been gone for two or three weeks, he knew eventually he’d have to stop running or that he’d be found by one of the groups that were looking for him, if anyone even was, he’d begun to doubt that he was important enough for anyone to want to find.</p><p>With a sigh, he realized that at this point he wasn’t sure who he wanted to find him more, the Plumbers or his Grandpa and Gwen.</p><p>Shaking his head to clear that thought he realized how absurd it was, he’d want the Plumbers to find him, if he ever saw Gwen again the shame for what he’d done would possibly kill him on the spot.</p><p>In a moment of weakness, he can’t even remember how long ago it was, he had found a computer and logged on to search the internet about cousin marriages, while he had found that some states allowed it and it was legal, the overwhelming prejudice and hatred that people who had participated in relationships like that endured was not something he’d ever want to put Gwen through.</p><p>Gwen deserved better than a C average student whose only claim to fame was that he had an alien watch and could become a hero. In all honestly, he was nothing without the watch, not even really a hero, just a kid playing with something that was so much bigger than he was. What Gwen deserved was someone as smart as she was, someone who would see the same beautiful soul he had, someone who’d love her the way she deserved, for her mind more than her body. Most importantly, she deserved someone who wasn’t her doofus cousin who always seemed to only mess things up whenever he was around. Despite knowing that he loved Gwen with every fiber of his being, he knew he could never have her, it wasn’t fair to her to take away a future with someone who would be so much better for her than he was.</p><p>Since he’d run, there’d been a few times when he’s contemplated just ending it and removing himself from the problem and leaving Gwen to be free to find the right man for her, even if he wished it was him, but knowing it could never be. Unbidden the look of horror when he kissed her crossed his mind and forced a choked sob from his throat before he was able to tamp down the memory and drive the sorrow back into his subconscious.</p><p>With a sigh and a shuddering breath, he pulled his sleeping bag higher around his shoulders and buried his head in his makeshift pillow, and if a few stray tears found their way from his eyes he’d just blame it on the rain.</p><p>.o.0.o.</p><p>Gwen sat in the passenger seat of the Rust Bucket as her Grandpa snored away from the lounge area bed he occupied.</p><p>All around them the lightning lit the sky and the rain battered the RV.</p><p>She’d been roused from her sleep not by the storm, but by the sound of Ben calling her name in fear. She knew it wasn’t her dream that had woken her, she’d been dreaming of the kiss he’d given her all those weeks ago and wishing that she’d be able to return one to him. What had roused her had been something deeper in her mind, something she’d never been able to explain, and something that linked her to Ben.</p><p>Since the day they were born, their lives had been entwined, always happier when the other was there and always knowing how to cheer the other up, even if their encounters ended with a fight more often than not. There were times when Gwen was even able to find Ben without having any real idea where he was other than a strong feeling.</p><p>While she’d never been able to explain what it was, she always knew when it worked, when she was close to Ben. She’d once figured that their connection would work as far as 20 miles away, but then it would only be a gentle tug. Right now, it was much stronger, which meant that Ben had to be someplace close by.</p><p>Grandpa had seemed to know Ben would keep away from the towns as much as possible, but that he’d only show up when he had to. He’d been right as Ben had shown up on a Plumber hacked security feed of a laundromat in Berryville, Virginia where he’d washed his clothes and found a shower if the reports were to be believed.</p><p>Grandpa had joked that they’d broken a new land speed record with the Rust Bucket to get from Northern Pennsylvania to Berryville in the time they had, it also helped that the RV was fitted with state of the art Plumber technology, which in turn was based upon reverse-engineered alien technology that had been obtained in numerous ways, even a few legal ones.</p><p>Currently, Gwen sat looking out the window, feeling for that thread of connection she always felt when Ben was near, that small warm spot in her chest and the sense of peace and contentment that seems to rest where her proverbial heart would be located.</p><p>She found it, very faint, but it was there, and it wasn’t moving. Good, that meant Ben was most likely camped out during the storm and not trying to make his way through the trees in the dark, which would make it so much easier to find him in the morning when the storm let up. Lifting her hand to the windshield she gently placed her palm against it in the direction that she felt Ben in.</p><p>Removing her hand, she kissed the palm before placing it back on the window and sent thoughts of comfort to her wayward cousin.</p><p>“Good night Ben,” she said in a whisper before curling up in the passenger seat and falling asleep.</p><p>Only a few miles away from where the Rust Bucket sat, Ben smiled in his sleep as his dreams turned pleasant as Gwen chased away the terror of Xenon and replaced it with kisses and affection.</p><p>.o.0.o.</p><p>Birdsong woke him early the next morning, the smell of rain in the forest helping to rouse him and making him realize that he had to use the restroom.</p><p>Pulling his worn shoes on, he unzipped the tent and made his way out into the forest. Finding a tree far enough away that he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone sneaking into his camp seeing him, Ben took a few moments to relieve his bladder as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.</p><p>As he made his way back to his camp, he heard the sound of something large moving through the brush toward his tent. Thinking quickly, he climbed a tree nearby to get out of the line of sight but still allowing him the vantage point.</p><p>He had barely made it into the branch when a large man with gray hair and wearing a red Hawaiian shirt with flowers and khaki pants emerged into the small clearing that housed his tent.</p><p>“Grandpa,” Ben whispered to himself as he bit back on a curse he’d overheard in the streets of New York. Stifling a sigh, he slowly made his way out of the tree and quietly tried to make his way away from the clearing.</p><p>“He was here, we must have just missed him, Gwen,” Grandpa Max said with a sigh as he touched the still-warm sleeping bag.</p><p>“Gwen?” Max called as he stood to look for his granddaughter, seeing no sign of her he began to worry, however, the events of the next few moments put his mind at ease, marginally.</p><p>As Ben had been working on escaping without using the watch or getting caught, he failed to notice he was being stalked. As he made his way around the clearing to the other side, he never saw the mop of red hair that hovered through the tree line above his head on a glowing blue disk of energy.</p><p>Just as he reached the other side, away from where the Rust Bucket was parked Gwen noted from her perch above his head, she sprung her trap and pounced on him from above.</p><p>Fighting back the instinct to cry out, Ben instead braced to catch himself even as the momentum threw him into the clearing and almost at the feet of his Grandpa. As he tried to push himself to his feet, he was aware that he had lost the ability to move for several reasons, first was the pair of arms that had wrapped themselves around his body from the back, immobilizing his arms. The second was the pair of legs that had done the same to his lower extremities. Third and finally was the realization of two separate but important things; that Gwen was sobbing into his back and that her magic had encased them both and made it almost impossible for either to move.</p><p>With escape no longer an option Ben was resigned to his fate, with a sigh he stopped trying to fight his way up and instead just collapsed completely to the ground, his face getting a mouthful of pine needles and dirt thanks to his immobility.</p><p>“Gwen,” Grandpa said as he gently made his way to the entangled pair. “Pumpkin, you should probably turn off the magic so we can get him up and not suffocate him in pine needles and dirt.”</p><p>He reached out and touched her shoulder even as she clung tighter to Ben’s body, her tears continuing to soak his back, other than that she was unresponsive. Ben merely closed his eyes as he waited for whatever his inevitable fate would be.</p><p>Max sighed as he realized he’d have to carry them back to the Rust Bucket, thankfully Gwen’s magic had not only immobilized the pair but made them both marginally lighter. Max had to assume it was some sort of capture and transport spell that she’d unconsciously conjured in her highly emotional state to prevent Ben from running again.</p><p>Gently lifting the pair, Ben grumbling and Gwen crying, he carried them back to the Rust Bucket and placed them onto the larger lounge bed that he normally occupied, laying them on their sides so Ben didn’t suffocate in the mattress. Given the look on his face, that’s probably what he wanted Max mused as he left the two for a moment to go pack up Ben’s makeshift camp.</p><p>He returned a few minutes later to find them in the same position, Gwen’s spell still holding strong.</p><p>Placing Ben’s belongings in the bunk area he moved to sit in the driver’s seat and find a better place to park so they could talk this all out.</p><p>Max tried not to focus on the sobs emanating from his granddaughter, the sound tearing his heart apart just like they did on the night Ben ran away. With a sigh he also felt his heart lift a bit too, after all these weeks they’d finally found Ben and now the healing could begin for both his grandkids, for better or worse.</p><p>Finding a secluded area to park a few minutes later Max pulled the Rust Bucket to a stop and turned it off. He rose from his seat and made the journey to the back, what he found both surprised him and yet didn’t.</p><p>Somehow Gwen was able to turn Ben over while keeping him immobile, currently, she had her head buried into his chest as her tears slowly tapered off. The look on Ben’s face was torn, on one hand, he was relishing the physical contact, and on the other Max could see his desire to run still in his eyes.</p><p>“Ben,” Max said as he sat next to the bed, a faint blue glow coming from the pair, indicating the still active spell. The younger man’s eyes pleading with his Grandpa’s to let him go. “We need to talk about what happened; you can’t keep running away. Look what it did to Gwen.”</p><p>Max could see the fight in Ben’s eyes die the moment he realized that he had indeed been the cause of his cousin’s tears. A sigh rippled through the younger man as he resigned himself to the inevitable.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Ben finally said after a moment to just relish the warmth of his beautiful cousin, the girl he loved and probably would love forever, even if she didn’t feel the same.</p><p>“I had to leave after what I did,” he finally said after a moment to gather his thoughts.</p><p>“Why do you think that?” Max asked as he could tell Gwen was not in a state to ask any questions at the moment.</p><p>“Because I kissed Gwen, I saw the looks of horror on your faces and knew what I’d done was wrong. I just couldn’t stay, not after I showed my feelings for her in the worst way possible.”</p><p>“Ben,” Max said as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “it was just a kiss, and for the record we weren’t horrified, just shocked.”</p><p>“No, it wasn’t ‘just a kiss’ Grandpa, a kiss on the cheek would be ‘just a kiss’, I kissed her full on the lips. Cousins don’t do that to each other. Cousins don’t steal each other’s first kiss; they don’t fall in love with their cousin!”</p><p>Ben cut himself off when he realized his emotions were getting the best of him and he’d already admitted his deepest secret to both Grandpa and Gwen, not that his initial kiss hadn’t already done that.</p><p>Closing his eyes against his tears he set his head back against the bed.</p><p>“What I did was illegal in most states, Grandpa, I looked it up while I was on the run. I just can’t ruin Gwen’s life like that. The looks, the whispers, I just can’t do that to her. She has so much ahead of her, I can’t take that away from her with my disgusting feelings.”</p><p>Ben turned his head to look at his Grandpa, seeming to forget Gwen was silently laying on his chest and that his hand had unconsciously raised to run through her hair, the spell having finally worn off.</p><p>“What she needs is someone who sees how smart, beautiful, courageous, adventurous, and just amazing she is. She needs someone who will love her the way she deserves, she doesn’t need her doofus cousin ruining her life by falling in love with her.”</p><p>Returning his gaze to the roof Ben let out another sigh as he closed his eyes and continued to absently run his fingers through Gwen’s hair, thankfully neither saw the smirk on Max’s face as they appeared lost in their own worlds.</p><p>“I first realized I was in love with Gwen on Xenon, during the whole Omnitrix self-destruct thing. When she was grabbed by the plants and taken, I just wanted to die right then and there when I failed to save her. If I had to live in a universe without Gwen, then I didn’t want to be in the universe anymore. For a brief moment I had contemplated just letting the Omnitrix explode, but then my hero complex took over and for the greater good I did what I had to do to stop the self-destruct, even if it meant Gwen was dead. Those moments where I thought she was dead still haunt me to this day.”</p><p>“But I’m not,” Gwen spoke up, making Ben jump as he had forgotten she was even there, his fingers stilling in her hair as he looked down at her as she looked up at him. “I’m right here Ben.” She said as she squeezed him tighter.</p><p>Panic rose in Ben’s eyes when he realized Gwen was not only still present but seemed to be cuddled into his chest. But it slowly subsided when he realized Gwen wasn’t pulling away from him in disgust and that she was instead holding him tighter.</p><p>“Grandpa?” Ben asked as he tried to figure the situation out. His confession had been heard by the girl he loved and the hatred and disgust he expected were nowhere to be seen.</p><p>Max only chuckled as he stood and walked to the front.</p><p>“I think we should get moving again, the map says we’re close to Arlington, a lot of history there to see.”</p><p>“Grandpa,” Ben whined as the man left and the rumble of the RV soon rose around them.</p><p>“Ben,” Gwen whispered as she slowly crawled her way up his body to collapse at his side and tuck her head against the crook of his shoulder and neck, arm and leg thrown over top of him, pinning him to the bed. “I missed you.”</p><p>He froze at those words, not knowing how to respond he did the only thing he could think of to do, he put his arm around her and held her tighter, relishing in the warmth of her body against his.</p><p>“Gwen… I…” he tried to start, to apologize, to say something, to try and explain how wrong it was, but every time he tried the words just died in his throat.</p><p>“I don’t hate you,” she said softly, “I could never hate you, Ben, I may get mad, but I could never hate you. How can I hate you when I love you so much?”</p><p>As Ben’s brain struggled to process and reply to those words Gwen went on.</p><p>“I realized it the same time you did, when I was being dragged down by the vines. I heard you pounding on the door to save me, and even as I disappeared deeper into the darkness all I wanted was to see your face one more time, to at least be able to kiss you goodbye. You were the last and only thing on my mind when I was taken. But, when it was all over, and you showed no signs of returning my love I buried it and settled with just being your friend.”</p><p>Sitting up on the bed he leaned against the kitchen booth and pulled Gwen across his lap and just held her, no words needing to be said at the moment. The proper time for them would come, but for now, they just needed to feel the other pressed against them and know that they were real and alive.</p><p>Placing small kisses on her head Ben had his eyes closed as he drank in her warmth and the scent that was so Gwen, strawberry shampoo that she knew he loved the smell of.</p><p>Giving up on kissing her they just held each other, no words were exchanged, there was nothing but them, and at that moment, all was right with the world.</p><p>.o.0.o.</p><p>Ben smiled as he sat on Grandpa’s bed and held Gwen in his arms, the movie from the day he’d run away playing once again, but this time was different. This time Ben didn’t have the overwhelming urge to kiss her, he’d already done that, no, now all he needed was to just hold her and talk through his feelings with her.</p><p>“Ben,” Gwen said with a sigh as she entwined her fingers with his. “I did the same research as you did; I know it's not legal in most states, but it is in California, we can be together when we’re 18.”</p><p>“But what about all the stares and everything that people will say about you and me? I can’t let you give up your dreams for me and make you go through all that.”</p><p>“People stare at us all the time Ben; we’ve always been in sync and able to finish the other’s thoughts. What will be different than before? Besides, you’re my dream now, anything else is just a bonus.”</p><p>“Maybe because it’ll be about our relationship and how wrong and unnatural it is.” He replied even as he blushed at the dream comment.</p><p>“You do know that the prejudice against cousin marriages only started in the 19th century, right? It was perfectly normal up until then, and it still is in some places.”</p><p>“That was then, this is now,” Ben argued as they cuddled and talked, the movie there for background noise more than anything else. Max smiled as he listened to them discuss, stirring sugar into his coffee. While he knew they had a long road ahead of them with lots of hurdles, he knew that they’d be able to get over them.</p><p>Max frowned at the sudden silence and turned his head, a smile breaking over his face as he saw Gwen holding Ben’s face as she kissed him, both their eyes closed in happiness.</p><p>Max shook his head as he turned back to his coffee and ignored the two, he knew they’d be alright.</p><p>“See,” Gwen said as she pulled slightly away from Ben, “nothing wrong with that, now was there?”</p><p>Ben only shook his head slightly, his eyes locked onto her identical set, love shining from them, a slight haze covering them as the pleasure of the kiss lingered.</p><p>“Ben,” Gwen said as she continued to hold his face and make him look into her eyes. “If this trip has taught me anything it's that I love you more than I can say and that I need to cherish our time together. I don’t ever want to let you go again. I know we’ll have challenges, the Omnitrix and my magic made sure of that, but together, as Ben and Gwen, we can get through anything. This thing, this love we have between us, it’s nothing compared to what we’ve faced in the past. How does a kiss deemed wrong by society compare to an alien watch that can destroy the universe?”</p><p>Ben chuckled at this; he knew she was right, but he was too engrossed in the moment to reply. He was happy just to nod and keep his hands on her hips as she held his face, eyes never leaving his.</p><p>“I want to be with you forever, and if that means we get married when we’re 18 and leave everything we know behind,” a loud ‘HEY’ from Grandpa made both smile as Gwen amended what she was saying. “Everything except Grandpa behind, then that’s what I want to do. Don’t you want that too Ben?”</p><p>“I do,” he whispered, the love in her eyes captivating him.</p><p>“Good,” she said as she leaned closer and brushed her lips against his, “but save those words for the wedding.”</p><p>Ben never got a chance to reply as she straddled his lap and kissed him again, his hands going to her back and pulling her tight against him.</p><p>Max smiled as he turned and watched them, he’d make sure they didn’t go too far, at least on this trip, but once they were home, they’d be on their own. He knew the kids could do it, but there’d be close calls not only with getting caught but also with the possibility of going too far too soon. If anyone could make a relationship like this work, it was Ben and Gwen. He knew they both had good heads on their shoulders, despite Ben’s grades when he was younger, and that they wouldn’t let this get out of hand, at least not until they were ready to meet the world as a couple on their terms and in their way.</p><p>Sipping his coffee Max could only imagine what the next two years would hold, but for now, he’d have to find a way to survive the next two months of the summer vacation now that they had realized their feelings.</p><p>“Alright kids,” Max said into the silence, “it's time to come up for air. You can cuddle when you go to bed, that bottom bunk should be big enough for you both.”</p><p>“GRANDPA,” they yelled in unison as their faces burned red and they pulled apart only to rest against each other like they had before, hands entwined between them, whispering to each other words of love with the occasional dweeb or doofus thrown in for good measure.</p><p>Yeah, they’ll be just fine. Max thought as he made his way over to join them in watching the movie, excited to see how Ben and Gwen’s new romance would blossom.</p>
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